Geabless differential



w. w; M cCAlN. GEARLESS DIFFERENTIAL.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 27. i9|8.,

1', 3 1'3, 3 96 Patented Aug. 19, 1919.

23 2 m. 25- Fi 5 7 24c Mq g wven'boz WALTER W. M G/Am.

To all whom it may concern U TED STATES P EN WALTER w. McCAIN, or oennn,lITAH. I

eEAnLnss mrrnannmn Be it known that I," WALTER W.;Mo( JAIN, a citizen ofthe United. States, residing at Ogden, in the county of Weber; State ofUtah, have invented anew and useful Gearless Differential; an'dI dohereby declare the following tobea full, clear, and exact, de-

scription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it apperq, ter, which embodiesnovel features ofconstruotion whereby the drive wheels have independent clutchconnections with opposite ends of a one-piece drive axle, the clutchconnections being controlled automatically by the steering gear so thatone .of. the clutches is opened and the corresponding wheel permitted toturn freely upon the axle when-aturn is made in either direction.

Further objects of the inventionare to rovide a device of this characterwhichcan e-manufactured a; less costthan the complicated differentialgear'ings which'are now in common use, which compensates in thenecessary manner when making a sharp turn I in either direction,although the drive wheels are ordinarily locked together so that theyturn in unison and even traction is obtained, and which eliminates theannoyance which isfrequently occasioned by the spinningof one of thedrive wheels when it gets caught in a mud hole with the other wheel onsolid ground.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in certainnovel combinations and arrangements of thelparts' as will more fullyappear as the description proce'eds, the novel features thereof beingpointed out in the appended claims. t

For a full understanding of the invention, reference is to-be had to thefollowing description and accompanying drawings,v in

' I Figure ,1 is a top'plan-view ofthe running 'th roughnneof themultiple disk clutches.

and cam plates the same reference characters.

' the vehicle.

on the steering gearand the leversjiactua ted clutches. a a. 1

Figie is a d fl iew o thest i f Corresponding and likepartsare referredReferring to the drawings, which illusstrate one. possible embodiment ofthe inswing for steering purposes, and the numerals 3 the rear wheelswhich aretldriven from a one-piece. rear axle 4, 'The front wheelsQaremounted in theusual manner .upon stub axles 5 which are pivotallyconnected to the -ends of the front axle 6, and

provided with rearwardly extended arms 7, said. arms be ng connected by:the transverse 1 Specification ofLettersPatent; Patented=Augyl9-191 9,Application fi1edNovember27. 191s. scrimmage-4,364.? f I thereby forautomatically" controlling the to in the following description andindicated 111 all, of the views of thedrawings steering rod 8 sothatthefront wheels will (always turn intunisonlconventional form of steeringgear may be utilized for turning the front wheels;

from the conventionalffpower ,plant. "The The rear axle 4; extendsthrough" rear axle hous1 ng*9 andoswonnected at-its middle port1on bybevel; gearing 10 to the rear end usual anti-frictionbearings12 areprovided within the axle housing ,9 for supporting the v rearaxlesojthatiitt willlrotate freely. The

rear wheelsofthe motor vehicleare loose upon theis'pindles 4? at theendsof" the axle, .and each of the wheelshasa hollow clutch v shell rigidlyconnected thereto. ,The

complemental plates l l and 1-5I-o fa multiple disk, clutch are arrangedwithin each of the shells .13, while, theexterior ofeach of the shellsis surrounded by a bral e 'band 16.

These brake bands are operativelyconnected to; a, rock shaft 17 which isinft urn operatively-connected inthe usnal manner to-a foot pedal 18,,'tl1is 'bra keflrneohanis'm being of the conventional"construction andbeing operated-in the l The plates of eacli ofthe are carried by theshell- (13 thereof, having the usual key connection 19a- ,their outer pusual manner when-driving 65 VGIlblOll, the numeral. l'designates themain frame of a motor vehicle,"thefnumerals 2 ripheries with theinteriorpf the shell, so that they are rdtatahlewith theshell but aremovable 'freelytowvar'd and away froineaeh other. The complementalclutch plates 1'5 5 are disposed alternately levithi'respeiet toithe.clutch plates lat, being rotatable with the axle 4, and being preferablyiforineda-vith polygonal or square openings which fit over Ieorrespondjngly fihftped, portionqofgthe;

axle. A clutch controlling plate 20 which is slidable upon theaxlenormallyforcesthe clutch plate s of eachdisk into a tight fricti nien agement wit e h; Qthe A coil vspring"2'1 when surrounds "the axle {isinterpose'dbetweemeachofthe clntchycontrol plates and a collie?- .22,the tension of; the spring normally forcing "the plate -int-o Ioprerative position and j closing 'thef'cluteln thereby looking {thefwheelgi igiidly f'ivith the aide. fEachoflthe control p tes 20 isprovideld With a fianged hub portion 23 which is o' ely enga'ged by' rve s y dispe flanged rend Ql' Jof clutchshifting collar 12%, said collarhaving a threaded enlgage- I g nentf2'5 with the axle housing;The'pitchof' jthesefihreadsis comparatively sharp sothat "the fir-actionof aitU IIl iS sufficientgto move th were ng t i i. fi- 1yEn ugh to ,ope

1 t thetelutch. spring26 normally rotates 30fthe'co'llar intoroperativeposition, and ,an

arm27 Wfhieh projects "froin the eollar p'rovides a means for. rotating1 the collar against; the"actionyoif the' spring'fto piillthe-eliltchcofitrdhplateQO outwardly and open gthe clutch. "Thecorresponding rear vheel 3.' .S7- h ls permit u fi fly 1 F th end of theagile, althoughfas"soon 'as 'the ti P sit n by 'sp na'f collar 24 isreleased itfis returned to opera,

40 g Y The arms 27 o'ff'thetvvo lutohcontrolling :collarsfle SB-1'8cjonneotedfhy forwardly e2:- iendingnulr ns2 -we nkl Which are mountedlip on a "transverse sh 1.1310, {an h f ding cm t m jjfront axle 5. iOneofithe' armso f each of the hell cran leve t 2apmj ectszover-the t e ngrod 8 into the p athof a. cam platefii l which islri gidjlysee red r to;Thes ba plae V re ,ustatie,j.;being arrang iso that they will QIlly.1b6bIOl lgl1t into operativejen- ,gagement "with the itespe tive lutcreleea 1 finiglev r '2 whe a appr cia Em -i made J Both of 'th e rearwheels; are thus flocked ,withithe .rear axle s hat an e traction is obained w en a d i g straight V aheaigl a nd it is not necessary to"release a either of he rear Wheels for hgh t rn sueh as is incidenttonfollowinglthe man assinganothervehicle. "However, when a turn ofsuflicient degree to necessitate coin pensation i made 01 of the camplates I ,isbronght vintoflengagement' with a. corres poniil i g.be1,1,. nank; 1e r29 m swings {the same to pull the rod 28 and turn thecolla-r324 of the cor-responding clutch, with the resultthatjtheclutchis opened and the corresponding rear Wheel permitted to turn [freelyuponftheiaxle. Preferalbly the IIlBCllL- nism is arranged to release theinside Wheel,

therebyeausing all of the driving power of the machine to beconcentrated upon the out- :siden-Wheeh As soon as the turn :has 'beenmade and the steering Wheels are straightenec'l'out','th'e 'cani plates31 are disengaged from the levers 29 and both of thedrive wheels againlocked \Withthe drive 'azde.

lflaving thus described the invention, What 11 claim'fas new-and desireto secure hy Let- I 780, [n a motor vehicle the eonibinationlivith'steering wheels ;and steering gear :in-

ding-3a*transversely IIlPOViiLblB connecting rein one pie'ce driveaxle;drive wheelsloose ripen the ends ofthe drive axle,-independent .Clutohesloetween the drive wheels and "the .arile, "eam ,plates Qadjustahly'clainped upon the steering gear connecting rod, levers mounted ,uponjthe vehic] er andeachf arranged WithQone a-rm projecting iHOO "thepath of .one .of the cam plates, 'an dla pull rod be- 'Jtvveen theopposite [end o'feach oir'the levers and the corresp onding cl1f1tch'. vp

2. In a Inotorvehlcle,: tl1e ;co nb;inat1on w thsteerlngavheels andsteering gear 1n- .j eluding a transversely movable connecting 'rd,'jaone;piece drive axle, drive Wheels l0 osef thereon, independent clutchesbetween the-drive "Wheels andthe axle; an axle 'housing, collars jthreaded upon the axle. housing .and pperatively .QQIlnected ,to' theclutches,

. and mean actuated by the movements of the, steering gearconnecting,rod for selecltivel y'rotatings the; collars to open one of. the

.el'utc-hesfwhen a turn is ma d'ejineither dillO upon 'thefsteeringgear, connecting rod, levers 'arranged io be actuated by 'thecammelnhers, and ,pull rods between 1 the levers :and

thenarr ns of the collars. V r y o 4.,In fmotor vehicle, the combinationWith-"steering Wheels and steering gearl ineluding transversely. .movable connecting loose t lp on the axle and providedith clutch shells,-mult lple disk clutches avithin the shells, an axle housing, collars fthreaded v.upon the aXle housing and] having an, operat ve conneetlonwith, the respective multiple disk clutches, arms projecting from the001- In testimony whereof I have signed my lars, cam plates applied tothe steering gear 7 name to this specification in the presence of 10connectin rod, a, pair of levers pivotally two subscribing Witnesses.mounted I etween their ends and each having one arm projecting into thepath of one WALTER 'V of the cam plates, and pull rods between theWitnesses:

opposite ends of the levers and the arms of JESSE FoWERs,

th corresponding clutch controlled collars. J. A. McCULLocH.

copies of this patent may be obta ned {or five cents eaich, byaddressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0. 1

